Bittersweet Reunion
by Syrus
Summary: Takes place after the Rise from the Ashes case in game one. Edgeworth leaves without warning for three years, breaking contact with everyone. Unexpectedly he returns and finds his world turned upside down.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_I never thought I'd find myself back here…_ Edgeworth thought, feeling a curious mixture of sadness, anxiousness, and nervousness, stepping out of a taxi that brought him back to the place he'd left three years before.

He thought he would be leaving this place forever when he had left then, but yet here he was. He was called back due to missed payments on a loan he had taken out for a house he had bought many years ago. Edgeworth cursed himself for his oversight on anything that would draw him back to this place.

_I need to iron this out quickly and get out of here, _Edgeworth thought resolutely, _ I certainly do not want to run into anyone and then be forced to engage in awkward conversation with them._

He knew for certain that any contact with people here would be awkward since he left without warning or saying goodbye. Then his mind flashed to the last person he wanted to think about. Phoenix Wright. Edgeworth closed his eyes and sighed in anguish. Over the three years he was gone, he tried in vain to convince himself that there was never anything there, that he'd never felt anything for Phoenix, and that he hadn't made the biggest mistake in his life leaving before he could find out. He pushed Phoenix out of his mind as the bank came into view.

_What ever happened was in the past, _Edgeworth thought bitterly, _Past events cannot be undone so it is best if one never looks back._

Edgeworth walked into the bank.

Phoenix made his way to the burger place across the street from the bank.

_Why do Maya's orders always have to be so complicated?_ Phoenix thought, feeling overwhelmed, _And she always gets mad when I get them wrong!_

Just as he was about to enter the burger place, he happened to glance at a person exiting the bank. His heart stopped and suddenly burgers were the last things on his mind.

_No, it can't be… _Phoenix thought as a wave of emotions bowled him over.

But the person was unmistakable. The same dark grey hair, the same eyes, the same face that had haunted him for three years…Though the maroon suit and the cravat were gone, this person, beyond a doubt, was Edgeworth! Phoenix noticed him walking away and suddenly shook himself into action. He could not let Edgeworth get away from him again. He ran quickly across the street, earning a few angry honks from drivers, but he did not even notice.

When Phoenix drew close to him, he yelled, "Edgeworth!"

Edgeworth suddenly stopped in his tracks, instantly recognizing the voice. His heart began to beat very fast and it took nearly everything in him not to just bolt. Phoenix was the last person he ever wanted to face about his sudden leave, but it appeared that fate played a cruel joke on him. Edgeworth was even too scared to turn around, not knowing what Phoenix would say to him or how he would react after so long. All of his confused and convoluted thoughts stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He was forced to turn around. Behind him, he found the same Phoenix Wright he had always known, and perhaps the same Phoenix Wright that he had tried to run from. Though he was a few years older, Phoenix had the same look in his eyes Edgeworth had always known him to have, filled with compassion and understanding. Edgeworth almost quailed under this look, feeling rather guilty and unworthy of it, all of his resolve to never look back melting away in this instant.

"Edgeworth…" Phoenix said again, sounding unsure and hesitant this time.

"Wright." Edgeworth replied, feeling as thought his heart had been ripped out.

Phoenix continued looking at Edgeworth as thought he'd seen a ghost, seemingly unable to speak.

"Why?" Phoenix finally asked, this simple word expressing all of the pain and abandonment he felt when Edgeworth seemed to drop off the face of the Earth.

To this question, Edgeworth knew he could not give him a satisfactory answer. Unable to control his emotions as well as he usually did, he felt tears coming to his eyes.

"Wright…I am truly sorry…" Edgeworth said with his voice cracking, some of his tears on the verge of spilling out.

This sudden meeting was almost too much for Phoenix, his eyes brimming with tears as well. Seeing Edgeworth so emotionally distraught was enough to prove to him that Edgeworth had at least felt a fraction of the pain he, himself, had felt. Letting only his emotions dictate his actions, he reached around Edgeworth and pulled him into a tight hug. He felt Edgeworth's entire body stiffen in surprise, causing him to almost let go in embarrassment, since he realized this is the closest he'd ever been to Edgeworth physically. But before Phoenix could move, Edgeworth slowly rested his arms around Phoenix's waist. They stayed like that for a few wonderful moments, when Phoenix suddenly realized that they must be getting some stares, hugging like this out on the street. He slowly pulled away from Edgeworth, who, to his surprise, seemed hesitant to let him go. For a split second, Phoenix could see a strange kind of longing in Edgeworth's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by embarrassment.

_He's probably self-conscious about how much he lost his composure there…_Phoenix thought, smiling inwardly.

"Ahh…Wright…it was good seeing you, but I must be on my way…" Edgeworth said, staring at the ground, the unusual redness in his cheeks standing out on his pale skin.

"No." Phoenix said resolutely, "Please…its been so long since I've seen you…the least you could do is stop by my house for a while…"

Edgeworth took a while to answer, looking like a lot of thought was going into it. All the while, he was studying Phoenix's face, seeming to factor this into making his decision. Phoenix prepared himself for the disappointment he would feel when Edgeworth said no, deciding no one would take so long to say yes.

_He's probably trying to think of the best way to say no…_Phoenix thought, starting to feel slightly depressed.

Suddenly Edgeworth spoke.

"Alright. I'll come." 

It took a moment for Phoenix to realize that Edgeworth had agreed, but when he did, he began to grin almost stupidly.

"Let's go!" Phoenix said, the little smile never leaving his face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The walk to Phoenix's apartment was mostly silent. Phoenix seemed too nervous to talk much, while Edgeworth, though he would never admit it, felt rather taken by Phoenix's silly smile.

_I can't believe this guy still doesn't have a license or a car…_ Edgeworth thought sarcastically, trying to draw his thoughts away from his situation with Phoenix, _How does he get by at all?_

Finally they got to Phoenix's apartment building. Phoenix led Edgeworth to a small apartment on the fourth floor of the building. Edgeworth realized now that although he had known Phoenix for a number of years, he never knew where he lived. As they stepped inside, Edgeworth found himself in a very lived in apartment, things casually left around, very much unlike his own home. Even Edgeworth hardly felt at home in his own house, everything so neat, it looked like a catalog house rather than a place a real person lived. Phoenix interrupted Edgeworth's thoughts when he suddenly spoke.

"Uhh…take a seat." Phoenix said, motioning to a tiny couch in his living room.

Edgeworth sat down and Phoenix took a seat next to him. Since the couch was so small, their knees were almost touching when they faced each other on the couch. In spite of himself, Edgeworth found his heart beating rather fast again.

"So…how have you been? It has been a while…" Phoenix asked.

"I moved to France, started a law office there, and now it's a successful firm." Edgeworth replied, sounding very bored.

"Wow, that's something." Phoenix said in awe, fully realizing Edgeworth's talents as a lawyer.

"What about you, Wright?" Edgeworth asked, raising an eyebrow in question, "How have you been spending your time? Do you still turn things around for the defense at the last minute like you always did before?"

Phoenix gave Edgeworth an amused little smile and said, "Yeah, that's the way things usually go. I'm still defending people that make my job very difficult."

"You'll never change, Wright." Edgeworth replied, also amused.

"Neither will you. You already becoming a successful prosecutor in France…they all had better watch out, the Demon Prosecutor being over there now and all…" Phoenix said in a teasing tone of voice.

"Whatever…" Edgeworth replied in a bored tone, but in actuality he was flattered by Phoenix's praise.

Although Edgeworth would never say it out loud, he respected Phoenix very much, and was actually quite impressed with him and his accomplishments. Edgeworth didn't know how Phoenix could honestly believe so much in all his clients when the evidence almost always suggested otherwise.

_Well, I'm one to think that…I was in the same place before, and I definitely didn't commit the crime._ Edgeworth thought wistfully.

Another thing that Edgeworth would never admit to was how much he enjoyed working with Phoenix in court. He found it a total rush when they played off each other in court to unearth the truth and bring the person they knew was guilty to justice together, though he was always careful to hide that fact.

"Hey, Edgeworth…I really missed you…" Phoenix said, but he quickly added on to the sentence when he began to blush, "…well, you know…in…court…"

Edgeworth gave him a sad, but knowing smile.

"I also missed you…in court…" Edgeworth replied coolly, masking his true feelings.

Edgeworth suddenly realized that they had unconsciously drawn closer on the already small couch, and he noted that their knees were just brushing against each other. This realization made a faint tint of color appear on his cheeks, joining his already quickly beating heart. He looked at Phoenix and noticed that Phoenix seemed to be studying him very closely, making him feel very awkward, but he held Phoenix's gaze. Phoenix seemed like he was trying to make a decision. Edgeworth let his insecurities and his feelings for Phoenix scare him away three years ago, but as he looked into Phoenix's eyes, he knew that this mistake could not be repeated now.

Edgeworth let his new found bravery drive him, letting his emotions escape the tight control he usually exercised on them. Almost too quickly for Phoenix to realize what was happening, Edgeworth had grabbed his head and kissed him forcefully. Edgeworth did not let Phoenix go until they had to come up for air, feeling extremely light headed at this intense expression of three years of denied emotion. As he tried to catch his breath, he looked at Phoenix, seeing his eyes were burning with emotion. His lips still tingling from the last kiss, Edgeworth quickly leaned in again. Their lips barely brushed together when a phone ringing startled them both.

Phoenix abruptly pulled back, his eyes wide in shock, his expression strangely comical in comparison to the childish jingle that issued from the cell phone. Edgeworth wondered what exactly was going on here, with Phoenix's sudden change in demeanor brought by the phone ringing. When the phone finally stopped ringing, Phoenix looked at Edgeworth in hesitation.

"Miles…" Phoenix said with great difficulty, his voice reverberating with sorrow, "I…can't…do this. I'm…engaged…"

Edgeworth could say nothing, feeling absolutely shocked. He risked everything and took a chance on his feelings, something that he would never usually do, just to find out that he was too late. Edgeworth struggled to keep his wits about him as his heart broke into a million pieces.

"I see…" Edgeworth replied, his voice cracking slightly, unable to regain his usual cool demeanor, "To…whom?"

"Ummm…Maya…Maya Fey." Phoenix whispered back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Seconds ticked by as both Phoenix and Edgeworth sat in awkward, gut wrenching silence, figuring out what to say to each other next. Phoenix was blown away by what just happened.

_I just don't believe this…_Phoenix thought, his head spinning from current events, _I can't believe that something that I wanted for so long, something I thought would never happen, just has. Who'd have thought that after thinking that I would never see Miles again that he'd suddenly pop back in my life and finally confirm that what I had been feeling for years hadn't only been one sided. Just when I was about to let go…_

Phoenix had been so caught off guard by Edgeworth's sudden advance that he'd forgotten about everything except what he was feeling in that moment. The minute that he heard the Pink Princess theme song on his cell phone, his mind came back to him. Before either one of them had a chance to say anything, suddenly there was a loud knock at the door. Phoenix tore his eyes away from the heart broken Edgeworth and numbly walked to the door, absolutely unable to make sense of his feelings. He opened the door and he found Maya looking at him with her typical angry expression, tapping her foot in annoyance.

"Nick, what happened to my burgers!! I've been waiting for an hour! I even called you to ask what was going on and you didn't even pick up your phone! I'm so hungry, I don't care what you got. Just give me whatever you have." she said.

Phoenix looked at her sheepishly and said, "Uhh…I don't have anything for you."

Maya's mouth dropped open and she said, "What?"

Phoenix looked down, like he was embarrassed and said, "I…forgot."

"Huh? Why?" Maya asked in confusion, not believing that anything could take precedence over food.

"I…ran into someone." Phoenix replied, looking behind him at Edgeworth, who was still sitting on the couch.

This is the first time that Maya realized that someone else was in the apartment.

"Whoa, Mr. Edgeworth? Well, it's been a while!" she said in disbelief, taking a moment to recognize him since he looked very different to her without his usual maroon coat and cravat.

Edgeworth just looked at her with an unidentifiable emotion in his eyes, not answering her. As the awkward silence hung in the room, Maya just looked back to Phoenix, deciding to change the subject since Edgeworth seemed to be in one of his moods.

"Well, it's okay about the burgers. More space for your mom's cooking, right?" she said, smiling.

"My mom…? Oh! I completely forgot! We're going to my parent's tonight, aren't we?"

"Geez, you're just forgetting everything today, aren't you? Well, I still have to finish packing, but I'll be back at six to pick you up. See you later. Bye, Mr. Edgeworth!" Maya said, giving Edgeworth a little wave and Phoenix a little kiss on the cheek before leaving quickly.

"Bye…" Phoenix said softly, watching her leave.

Now, once again, he was left alone with Edgeworth.

* * *

Finally Edgeworth spoke, although with great difficulty.

"Wright…it was a mistake for me to come here…" he said softly, "I don't know what I was expecting, but I surely got what I deserved."

"No, Miles…don't say that…" Phoenix replied, his voice filled with compassion.

"I should go. I think it would be best for both of us if I didn't stay…" Edgeworth said, his voice cracking again.

"No, please…you can't…Miles…my wedding day is supposed to be one of the most important days in my life, right? And you…you're so important to me, that I want you…no I _need_ you to be there…please." Phoenix said earnestly.

Edgeworth was on the verge of saying no, but something stopped him. As he looked into Phoenix's eyes, he saw they were shining with tears. He could easily see how much Phoenix wanted him there. He realized that he had already abandoned Phoenix once, and he could not do it again, especially not with Phoenix looking at him the way he was and pleading with him so. He knew owed this to Phoenix no matter how painful it would be to him.

_It was my fault things turned out this way anyways…if I hadn't left like I did, maybe things would have been a little different._ Edgeworth thought bitterly.

Edgeworth was certain that Phoenix didn't understand what he was asking him to do, in essence, watch the only person he ever loved promise to spend his life with someone else.

_If only I was brave enough to come to terms with my feelings for Phoenix and the aftermath of SL-9 three years ago,_ Edgeworth thought in disdain, _But what did I do instead? I ran. No, not this time. He needs me, and for once, I will be there._

He saw Phoenix looking at him expectantly and he returned with a look of grim resolution. It was incredibly hard for Edgeworth to get the words out, but he finally managed it.

"Alright. I'll be there." Edgeworth said, reaching up quickly and wiping away a tear that had leaked out of his eye.

He reached in his coat and brought out a pen and what looked like a business card.

Quickly writing on the card, Edgeworth handed it to him and said, "I'm staying at the Gatewater hotel in room 506. You can find me there to give me all the necessary information concerning…your wedding."

His voice sounded cool and impersonal, but it faltered just slightly when he mentioned Phoenix's wedding. Edgeworth quickly stood up from the couch and left the apartment without another word or look at Phoenix. He knew that if he didn't get out of there, he'd lose control of himself completely.

Lost inside himself the whole cab ride to the hotel, he finally broke down in his hotel room. From the minute he had seen Phoenix today, he had been on an emotional roller coaster. Sobbing silently, his mind was still spinning from the current chain of events. First he saw Phoenix for the first time in three years, then he spontaneously confessed his feelings through two stolen kisses, and last he found out it was in vain, all within a few hours. Within a few minutes, Edgeworth calmed himself down, realizing that crying over the situation would help nothing, but this did not stop him from kicking himself once again over the way he left three years ago. He also cursed himself for always having to be so self critical.

_I can't fail him again. I can't._ Edgeworth thought, wiping away whatever tears that remained on his face, _I have to be there for him, no matter what._

A/N: Simon, hang on, things will work themselves out ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Phoenix sat on the couch for at least thirty minutes after Edgeworth left, mulling over the situation.

_This whole thing has to be some sort of crazy dream…First Miles kissing me, then me shooting him down, followed by me asking him to come to my wedding! That had to have been the most selfish thing I've done, but I couldn't just let him leave because if I had, I'm sure I'd never see him again…_Phoenix thought, feeling a little ache in his heart, regretting that he had to put Edgeworth through even more pain just to get him to stay.

He suddenly realized he was still holding the card that Edgeworth gave him where he had written his hotel information on. Phoenix examined the front of the card, finding most of it in French, but he did pick out Edgeworth's name on it and Edgeworth's picture. He stared at the picture on the card some more, noticing that although Edgeworth had his usual cold look of steel, his eyes seemed very sad.

_Miles…you didn't have to face everything alone…_Phoenix thought, wishing he had tried harder to convince Edgeworth to stay three years ago.

Suddenly he realized that he hadn't even gotten ready to leave and Maya was coming for him in just a few minutes. He rushed to get a small bag packed for the weekend at his parents and he carefully put the card Edgeworth gave him in his coat pocket.

* * *

Finally, after the hour long drive, Phoenix saw his house come into view. The one story house's roof was still old and aging, the paint on the crème colored house was slightly peeling, and the grass in the front looked like it was starting to dry out, but Phoenix smiled at the fact that the house was exactly the way he remembered it.

_It really has been too long._ Phoenix thought as they pulled up along the sidewalk in front of his parent's house, feeling great to be home.

Phoenix and Maya got their bags out of the trunk of her car and they walked to the door. A few seconds after they rang the doorbell, a older woman with dark black hair and brown eyes answered the door.

"Phoenix, Maya, you finally made it!" she said, smiling and welcoming them inside.

"Hi, mom." Phoenix said, stepping forward and giving her a hug.

"Hi, Lisa!" Maya said cheerfully.

Lisa Wright smiled and said, "Well, why don't you two get settled in? I'm almost done with dinner."

"Oh, I want to help! Here, Nick, you take our bags in." Maya said, tossing Phoenix her bag and joining Lisa in the kitchen.

Phoenix caught the bag with a surprised little 'oof'. He smiled and shook his head, knowing how much Maya liked her food. He walked into the house and noticed his father, Bill Wright, sitting like usual in the living room, perusing the newspaper. As he looked at his father now, he was amazed at how much like his father he looked. Except for his father's dirty blonde hair, he felt like he was almost a carbon copy.

"Hey, dad." Phoenix said, attracting his father's attention.

"Phoenix!" Bill said, folding his newspaper and putting down on the table next to his chair.

"So how's that site you're overseeing in Mexico? That Mayan temple?" Phoenix asked, interested in what his father was up to lately.

"The Temple of Lost Inscriptions in Palenque you mean? From what I've heard, everything is going fine. I was supposed to be there in person a week ago, but I'm not going to miss my son's wedding, now am I?" Bill said playfully.

Phoenix smiled shyly in response, trying to balance the bags in his hands.

"Well, I'd better get our bags inside. If we don't hurry, I bet Maya will eat everything and leave nothing for us." Phoenix said in a teasing tone of voice.

His father laughed and replied, "I guess I better get to the kitchen then, huh?"

Phoenix quickly made his way down the hall to the bedrooms and laid the bags down in the guest room. Then he walked across the hall to his room when he lived with his parents. Everything was the same as when he lived here. His twin bed was neatly made with the same dark blue sheets he always had, his desk was still vaguely messy with a few different picture frames on it, and some expensive curtains framed his window. His mother had purchased them and insisted they hung in his room even if they definitely did not look like they belonged in a teenage boy's room. He walked over to the desk and picked up one of the frames. It was a photo of Edgeworth, Larry Butz, and Phoenix when they were nine years old. Phoenix smiled as he remembered when the picture was taken.

_Mom was about to take a picture of Miles and me when Larry ran up and hooked us around the necks as the picture was snapped. Both Miles and I ended up looking at him and laughing, while Larry ended up being the only person actually looking at the camera. _Phoenix thought to himself.

He looked at Edgeworth's happy and carefree face in the picture and he suddenly wondered where the person in the picture went. He hoped that somewhere, deep down, the child in this picture was still in Edgeworth today. Unconsciously, Phoenix ran his fingers lightly over Edgeworth in the picture, wishing that he didn't lose touch with Edgeworth when they were growing up. Suddenly a voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Phoenix!!"

Phoenix looked up from the picture in his hands toward the voice.

"Anka!" he replied, happy to see his younger sister after such a long time.

Anka Wright ran up to Phoenix and gave him a big hug, which he gladly returned. Taking a look at his sister, Phoenix decided that the older she got, the more she looked like their mother.

"So how many elephants have you carried off today?" Phoenix asked playfully, referring to the mythical bird that her name was based on.

"Nine. But I do have to get up to fifteen by the end of the week." Anka replied in a mock serious tone, used to this inside joke between Phoenix and herself.

"So why weren't you here to welcome me home, huh?" Phoenix asked, pretending to be annoyed.

"Of course I wanted to be here, but my journalism meeting just got out a few minutes ago. And if you thought I would miss dinner, you're dead wrong." Anka replied with a little smirk.

Phoenix just laughed in response.

"I just can't believe it…in a week you'll be married. Poor Maya…" Anka teased.

"Yeah…huh?" Phoenix replied softly, giving her a half hearted smile, thoughts of Edgeworth and his situation with him never leaving his mind.

Anka noted Phoenix's sudden change in mood over this topic. She personally liked Maya very much, but she felt like Maya just didn't go well with her brother. She couldn't put her finger on why, but she always felt like something was off about Phoenix's relationship with Maya. Before they started dating, he always treated her more like a sister rather than someone he'd want to date. Him starting to date her and then even proposing to her seemed completely out of the blue. There had to be some reason for this, and Anka knew she had to get to the bottom of it to help prevent her brother from making the worst mistake of his life.

"Hey, Phoenix…" Anka started asking gently, "Do you love her?"

Phoenix seemed to be distracted with other thoughts when Anka first mentioned Maya, and he suddenly shook his head when he realized Anka asked him a question.

"Huh, what? Oh, I mean…yeah…" Phoenix said, not very convincingly.

"Are you sure? Before, it always seemed like you treated her more like you treat me. You know, like a sister." Anka said, pushing the point.

Phoenix took a moment longer than really was necessary for him to reply to the question, and he seemed to unconsciously clutch the picture he was holding more tightly in his hands, which set more warning bells off in Anka's head.

"O-of course I…love…her. Feelings change, you know…" Phoenix replied softly, stumbling slightly over the part where he said he loved Maya.

Anka looked at him with a suspicious look and Phoenix hoped this line of questioning wouldn't continue much longer.

"Well…okay. Anyways, let's go see if dinner is ready." Anka said, deciding to pursue this more later, since Phoenix looked like he was getting uncomfortable.

This conversation made Anka certain that Phoenix did not love Maya in this way, so she decided to stop pushing him right now. She also decided she also needed to find out that if he did not love Maya, who did he really love and why did he ask her to marry him? She felt the answer lay in the picture that he was holding so tightly in his hands, even now.

"Yes. You go on. I'll be there in a minute." Phoenix said.

"Okay." Anka replied, slowly leaving the room.

When Anka left the room, Phoenix realized that he was still holding on to the picture of Edgeworth, Larry, and himself. He looked at the picture a moment longer.

_I think my sister is on to me about Maya. But Anka is right, I don't love Maya like that. I love… _Phoenix started thinking sadly, but he abruptly stopped the thought to save himself the pain of admitting it to himself.

He closed his eyes, sighed, and put the picture back on his desk in its place. Then he went to join everyone at dinner.

* * *

The dinner with his family really helped bring up his spirits since he missed them very much when he moved to the main city to become a defense lawyer. His mother discussed the class she was teaching at the local university on mythological animals and his father discussed the archeological dig he was helping conduct in Palenque, Mexico. Soon dinner was over and everyone was getting ready to go to bed. Phoenix stepped out on the backyard patio and saw that the sky was clear and it was a really nice night. Suddenly Maya joined him.

"Everyone else had gone to bed, so I came to look for you." Maya said, stepping up next to him on the patio.

She looked up at the sky and said in awe, "Wow, you can really see all the stars tonight!"

"Yeah, it really is nice." Phoenix said, smiling.

Maya quickly realized that it was too cold to be out without a jacket so she wrapped her arms around her self as she started to shiver.

"Oh, you're cold." Phoenix said sympathetically.

"Yeah, I didn't think to pack a jacket…" she replied through chattering teeth.

Phoenix put his arms around her to keep her warm, and he felt her slip her arms inside his coat and place them around his waist. She squeezed him lightly in a hug for a few moments and then she tilted her head up expectantly. Phoenix looked at her for a second and then bent his head down to meet her lips since he didn't want to leave her hanging. Immediately his mind flashed to the kisses he shared with Edgeworth that same day. This definitely felt nice, but that was something else all together. When Edgeworth kissed him, it was so intense, he couldn't think straight. He wanted to melt in his arms. He wanted to pull him even closer. This, in comparison, was just a kiss, and nothing more. In a few seconds, he slowly pulled back. She squeezed him again, and then she felt something poke her from a pocket in his coat.

She reached into his pocket, pulled out whatever was poking her, and said, "Hey, what's this?"

Phoenix saw that she pulled out the card that Edgeworth had given him with his hotel information on it.

"Oh, when I ran into Edgeworth today I…invited him to our wedding. He just wrote down the hotel where he was staying at and such on there. " Phoenix replied, feeling himself begin to blush.

He was glad that the moonlight was too dim for Maya to see his face very well.

"That's good. Hopefully I'll get to talk to him then since he didn't want to today. Mr. Edgeworth did seem to be in a rather bad mood. He actually seemed more grouchy than he used to be, didn't you think?" Maya asked, slightly concerned, hugging closer to Phoenix.

"I…suppose…" Phoenix replied, feeling a little guilty.

"I don't know…I think Mr. Edgeworth just needs someone. You know, someone he can trust, someone he can go to? I think he tries to deal with an awful lot on his own." Maya said, looking at him.

This comment struck a cord in Phoenix and he suddenly felt tears coming to his eyes. He quickly looked up at the sky so Maya wouldn't see his face before he got control over himself. Phoenix cleared his throat and finally answered.

"Yes…that's true." he replied softly.

When he looked down at Maya, she saw his eyes were shining brightly in the moonlight.

"Nick…are you…okay?" she asked, scrunching her eyebrows in confusion.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Something must have gotten in my eyes…" Phoenix replied, rubbing his eyes vigorously.

"Well, maybe you're tired. Let's go to bed." Maya said, slowly pulling away from him, taking his hand, and leading him inside.

Phoenix followed, making sure to carefully hold on to Edgeworth's card in his other hand. When Maya and Phoenix made their way to the hall with the bedrooms, Anka came out of hiding in the kitchen. She had heard the whole exchange between Phoenix and Maya outside. Now she knew enough.

"It's him…Phoenix loves _Miles Edgeworth_!" Anka quietly said to herself, the way that Phoenix was behaving since he got her making much more sense.

It was obvious that Phoenix loved one of the other guys in the picture he was holding earlier, Miles Edgeworth or Larry Butz.

_I didn't really think it was Larry because Larry…is…well, Larry._ Anka thought, reflecting on what she knew about Larry, and so immediately eliminating the possibility it was him, _and Phoenix did try very hard to keep in touch with Miles when he was growing up._

She knew now she had to find a way to ask him why exactly he was marrying Maya if he so obviously loved someone else. One more thing she knew was true was that time was running out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

During Maya's and his stay at his parent's house, Phoenix decided to take Maya to the university his mother taught at and show her around.

_They do have some nice architecture there that I'm sure she'd like to see, especially the waterfall fountain, _Phoenix thought, _but I'll probably have to remind her not to get in the water though._

Phoenix's thoughts made him laugh to himself as he buttoned the shirt he was wearing to go out. Maya came in the room and heard Phoenix laughing.

"Hey, what's so funny?" Maya asked curiously.

Phoenix kept grinning and replied, "Nothing, nothing. You ready to go?"

"Yeah." Maya said, smiling back at him.

They both walked out of the guest room and Maya walked out to her car.

Before joining Maya outside, Phoenix yelled into the house, "Mom, Dad, Anka, we're leaving! We should be back around dinner time!"

"Bye, Phoenix! Have a good time!" he heard his mother reply.

With that, Phoenix and Maya were off. This was just the opportunity Anka was waiting for. She decided that the best way to get to the bottom of Phoenix's relationship with Maya was to snoop around the guest room and look through Phoenix's and Maya's stuff.

_I have to put my journalistic skills into action and get to the core of this story! …I mean…for Phoenix's own good…_Anka thought, ready to get cracking.

She first examined the dressers and tables in the room to see if Phoenix or Maya had left anything out. All she found was Edgeworth's business card. She quickly looked it over and found Edgeworth's picture and a lot of things in French on the front and something that appeared to be written by Edgeworth on the back, since it definitely was too neat to be Phoenix's handwriting.

_Nothing interesting…It was just like Phoenix said last night, Edgeworth just wrote the hotel and room he was staying in…_Anka thought, disappointed her first find was a bust.

She turned the card over and looked at Edgeworth's picture again.

_So this is Miles Edgeworth now, huh? Well, at least it looks like Phoenix has good taste._ Anka thought, appreciating her brother's choice.

She carefully put the card back where she found it and then decided to look through Phoenix's and Maya's bags next. She opened the bag closest to her and quickly realized this was Maya's bag. As she rifled through it a little, she found a small notebook.

_This must be her diary. I don't think I'll find any useful information in here…but it never hurts to be thorough…_Anka thought, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Anka skimmed through most of the diary, finding entries about Maya's spirit training, her sister Mia, and Maya's favorite Steel Samurai episodes. Near the end of the diary is when things started to get interesting. Anka noticed that Phoenix's name came up more and more as she turned the pages, mentioning the detective work they did for trials, the time they hung out together, and things that Phoenix had said to her.

Dear Diary,

Nick is really something! After saving the Steel Samurai, he's decided to defend that mean and grumpy prosecutor Mr. Edgeworth. No other lawyers wanted to take the case, but Nick insisted on helping Mr. Edgeworth, even if he didn't want the help! I asked him if it was possible at all that Mr. Edgeworth did it, but Nick was absolutely certain, no matter what the evidence said. He really believes in Mr. Edgeworth, like he really believed in me. He really is a great guy.

As Anka turned the pages, she could see Maya slowly falling in love with her brother. She got to one of the most recent entries in the diary.

Dear Diary,

I love Nick, but I think he's too much of a gentleman sometimes…I mean, after we went out last night, he just gave me a kiss? I wish he would have –

Anka quickly slammed the diary closed before she got an unpleasant mental picture of Phoenix and Maya in her mind.

_Yes, I think I've read enough. All I've found out is that Maya is madly in love with Phoenix, which still leaves me at square one._ Anka thought, deciding that she wasted enough time on curiosity.

She needed to get down to business before Maya and Phoenix came back. She returned Maya's diary back to her bag and moved to the other bag in the room, hoping she'd find something in there that would unravel the mystery of why Phoenix proposed to Maya when he obviously loved Edgeworth. Soon she found a leather bound book at the very bottom of the bag that looked rather old. She opened it and found a name scrawled in a child's handwriting on the first page.

Phoenix Wright

_I didn't even know Phoenix kept a journal! If I had known, I'd have tried to look for this years ago! _ Anka thought, betting there was a lot of good teasing material in here.

But she quickly put that thought aside. She had more pressing matters to attend to. She skipped the first half of the journal since most of that was only stuff about Phoenix, Larry, and Edgeworth when they were kids. Anka kept skimming the pages, the journal making it dead obvious that Phoenix was drawn to Edgeworth from the time Edgeworth stood up for him in that class trial, his feelings growing and changing as he got older.

She saw that Phoenix realized that what he felt for Edgeworth was love when he started law school. Soon she got up to Phoenix describing his first few cases and seeing Edgeworth in court. She was touched at the way that Phoenix believed so much in Edgeworth during his trial, gaining insight into her brother's feelings for Edgeworth that she never had before.

_Well, I guess I can see why Maya fell in love with Phoenix…if I were her, I probably would have too. _Anka thought.

Turning a few more pages, she found an entry that appeared to be rather desperately written. Curious, she took a better look.

Yes…I love him. If there was ever a doubt in my mind before, it's gone now. I had a feeling Miles would leave after the truth of the SL-9 incident had been brought out, but I was hoping beyond hope, that maybe, just maybe, he would stay. It really had been too much to hope…before I knew it, he was gone. Completely gone. Not a word to anyone about where he was going or what he was doing…not even a good bye. In the two years he's been gone, I've tried every way I could think of to locate him, but I got nothing. Maybe Miles just doesn't want to be found. If he went through this much trouble to cover his tracks, I don't think he's coming back. God, I don't think I'll ever see him again. If he's moved on with his life, I suppose I should move on with mine. But I know, no matter what, I will always love him.

Anka felt choked up as she read this journal entry, everything finally falling into place. She examined the entry one more time, realizing some of the ink was smudged in certain places, as if drops of a liquid had fallen on the page.

_Oh God, was Phoenix crying when he wrote this?_ Anka thought sadly as she quickly wiped away the tears that had come to her eyes.

She quickly put the journal back in Phoenix's bag.

_Phoenix is only marrying Maya to 'move on with his life' and forget about Edgeworth! I have to stop this before it gets completely out of control!_ Anka thought urgently, trying desperately to come up with a plan.

Suddenly she knew what she would do. She didn't know if this would help anything, but something had to be done. She checked her watch and quickly brought out her cell phone to make a call. Anka got nervous as the phone rang a few times, afraid that her friend wouldn't pick up. Finally, after the fourth ring, they answered.

"Hello?" a female voice said.

"Hey, Julie, it's Anne." Anka said to a friend of hers from her journalism class.

"Hey, Anne, what's up?" Julie asked.

"I need to ask you a _huge _favor." Anka replied.

"Yeah?" Julie asked curiously, since Anka sounded desperate.

"I need you to drive me to the main city for a couple of hours." Anka said.

"Oooo, getting some sort of scoop?" Julie said excitedly.

"It's something that is far more important than that. I'll explain it to you on the way." Anka replied seriously.

"Alright, be there in a flash!" Julie said, hanging up the phone.

Anka waited until Julie was waiting for her outside to tell her parents she was leaving. She just told them that she was working on something to do with the newspaper and that she would be back for dinner.

"Do you have to work on the paper even during the weekend?" Bill asked in surprise.

Anka gave him a little smile and replied, "News waits for no one, dad. See you both later!"

"Alright, bye, honey!" Lisa said as Anka ran out the door.

As soon as Anka got into the car, Julie drove as fast as she could toward the city.

"So now would you tell me what this is really all about?" Julie asked, very curious about what Anka was up to.

"Yeah. I have a lot of explaining to do. But first of all, we're going to the Gatewater hotel." Anka replied.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Edgeworth lay in Phoenix's arms on that little couch in Phoenix's apartment. The warmth he felt was unlike anything he'd ever known. It pervaded his heart, his body, and his soul. In this moment he felt so complete and so happy, things he hadn't felt since he was a child.

"Miles…?" Phoenix whispered, softly brushing a hand through Edgeworth's hair, making his scalp tingle pleasantly and a contented sigh escape his lips.

"Hmm…?" Edgeworth replied half consciously, his comfort causing him to almost drift off to sleep.

"It's time for me to get married." Phoenix said in an uncharacteristically harsh tone, unceremoniously shoving Edgeworth off of himself, and getting up from the couch.

Phoenix's words cut into him like a knife and all he could do was look at Phoenix in shock, his heart aching from the sudden coldness of Phoenix's behavior.

"Did you actually think that I'd just sit around waiting, putting my life and feelings on hold in the hope that you'd return one day?" Phoenix said, his voice mocking and condescending, "Thanks, but I think I'm better than that."

In spite of himself, tears started rolling uncontrollably down Edgeworth's cheeks.

"I…I…" Edgeworth tried saying between sobs, but no words would come.

"I wanted you to come to the wedding to see that I've moved on and that I don't need you anymore." Phoenix said with a cold finality that bore into Edgeworth's soul.

* * *

Suddenly Edgeworth's eyes snapped open. His face felt very damp and cold from what he quickly realized was sweat and tears. He wiped his face off and looked around himself, realizing that he'd nodded off while he was sitting in a chair in his hotel room since he was unable to sleep very well the night before. He put his face in his hands, trying to get a hold of himself.

_It was just a dream…_Edgeworth thought, feebly trying to comfort himself, his heart still feeling heavy from the dream.

He got up and decided to take a quick shower, hoping that would help him clear his head.

* * *

During the car ride to the hotel, Anka explained the situation between Phoenix and Edgeworth to Julie the best she could.

"…And that's why I have to stop this wedding from happening! I can't let it go on now that I know everything that I do!" Anka said.

Julie looked at her in disbelief.

"Wow…so the person we're visiting in the Gatewater hotel is the person your brother really loves?" Julie said, the story that Anka had just told her seeming too fantastical to be real.

"I wanted to rush over here right away since Phoenix is supposed to be getting married in a week!" Anka replied as the Gatewater hotel came into view, "Alright. I'll go in and you wait for me in the car – "

"Hey! I want to meet him too!" Julie said, almost whining.

"Look, if we both go, Edgeworth may feel even more uncomfortable and then he won't talk to us. I got that idea when I was reading about him in Phoenix's journal. He's a really touchy guy. I don't want this trip to have been for nothing." Anka explained reasonably.

"Oh, fine." Julie reluctantly agreed, pouting.

"Okay, I'll be back soon." Anka said as she got out of Julie's car and walked into the hotel.

_Now to get to room 506!_ Anka thought, rushing as fast as she could.

* * *

Edgeworth had just gotten out of the shower and had finished dressing when he heard a knock on his door.

Thinking it must be the bellboy with the room service, Edgeworth said in a bored tone, "One moment."

He opened the door, shocked to find a teenage girl with black hair and blue eyes that looked vaguely familiar instead. Anka just stared at him a moment, finding him even more attractive in person. Finally when he crossed his arms and gave her an impatient look, she realized he was waiting for her to say something.

"Uhh…you're Mr. Edgeworth, right?" Anka asked nervously, finding Edgeworth to be quite an imposing presence.

"Yes, and you are?" Edgeworth asked, his tone demanding.

The embarrassed look Anka gave him in response made Edgeworth even more certain that he'd seen her somewhere before.

"Oh, my name is Anka…Anne if you like. I'm Phoenix Wright's sister." she said, looking at him nervously.

Edgeworth barely kept his mouth from dropping open in shock.

_No wonder she looked so familiar…_he thought, _I never knew Phoenix had a sister._

"How do you know who I am, and how did you find me?" Edgeworth asked Anka suspiciously.

"Umm…well…" Anka said, not sure how to start explaining what she knew.

"Did Wright send you here?" Edgeworth asked in a tone that was meant to be disinterested, but Anka thought she detected the tiniest bit of hope.

"No, Phoenix doesn't know I'm here. I found out where you were staying on that card you gave him. Umm…can I…?" Anka replied, glancing into the hotel room, not wanting to do all the talking outside.

Edgeworth narrowed his eyes at her for a moment, but then wordlessly stepped aside to let her in. She quickly took a seat in a chair and she waited for Edgeworth to close the door and do the same.

"I see that the disrespect for people's privacy runs in the family." Edgeworth said, sounding slightly annoyed.

Anka chose to ignore that comment and decided to just start talking, knowing that there was no easy way to lead into what she wanted to say.

"I think Phoenix is making a mistake. He doesn't love Maya, so he shouldn't be marrying her." she said.

Edgeworth's mind flashed back to the dream he just had, still so painfully vivid in his mind.

"Why is it any concern of mine?" Edgeworth replied bitterly.

Anka just gave him a look of absolute disbelief before she spoke again.

"Because Phoenix loves _you_."

Anka's simple words caused a tumult of conflicting emotions bubble up inside Edgeworth. He looked away from her with a pained expression on his face, wondering how exactly to react to what she said. Finally he spoke, but he could not bring himself to look at her.

"Perhaps…but it is just too late…" Edgeworth said, his voice cold.

"Too late? It's not too late! I don't think Phoenix even wants to marry her! You have to help me stop this wedding!" Anka said forcefully, surprised at how much Edgeworth didn't want to cooperate.

"I will do nothing of the sort." Edgeworth replied, finally looking at Anka with narrowed eyes.

"But…why?" Anka said, unable to understand why Edgeworth was putting up so much resistance to getting the person he loved.

"It was my mistake to leave three years ago, Miss Wright." Edgeworth said, his voice dripping with scorn, "I deserve what happened. Now I simply have no right to – "

Anka suddenly cut him off, angry that he was being so stubborn.

"What, and Phoenix also deserves this? Did he deserve to feel abandoned when you left? Does he deserve to marry someone that he doesn't love because of your mistake?"

Edgeworth thought about his reply a moment before he said anything, his face clearly showing his conflicting feelings. But when he spoke, it was clear that his cold and rational side won out.

"Maybe he doesn't, but does that Fey girl deserve to be left on her wedding day?" Edgeworth asked, his voice suddenly sounding very cool and detatched.

Anka's eyes went wide at the mention of Maya.

_I completely forgot that Maya is involved in this too…_Anka thought sadly, _She would be losing her fiance, who she loves. I…don't know what to do…_

"But…Mr. Edgeworth…" Anka said, trying to think of something, anything, that would change his mind.

"I'm sorry, Miss Wright, but I can't help you." Edgeworth said, his face cold and expressionless, making it clear that this conversation was over.

Anka looked at him a moment, sighed in disappointment, and slowly stood up.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Edgeworth…" Anka said softly, not looking him in the eye.

With that, Anka left. Edgeworth waited until she had left the room to close the door behind her.

* * *

The unexpected visit from Phoenix's sister coupled with the dream he just had left him at a loss to what exactly he should do.

_There's a lot of Wright in his sister…the same stubbornness, the same drive to do what they think is right…so naive, yet so endearing. _Edgeworth thought, feeling melancholy.

Edgeworth realized that Anka would not have made the trip to the hotel unless she was absolutely certain about what she had said. Edgeworth also decided that Anka hadn't just come here because she disliked Maya, due to her reaction when he brought Maya up in their conversation.

_If this girl is anything like Wright, I know she wouldn't do something to deliberately hurt another person, _Edgeworth thought, analyzing the situation, _but for her to ask me to stop the wedding was a bit too much…_

Edgeworth quickly squashed any hope that the reason for Anka's visit may have brought him, deciding that what she said proved further in his mind that he was unworthy of Phoenix.

_Wright deserves someone who isn't scared to show they love him, _Edgeworth thought in disdain, _not someone who unfortunately possesses the plethora of inadequacies that I do. Maya Fey will give him what I was too afraid to…No matter the circumstances that led up to this, perhaps it's all for the best._

Edgeworth abruptly tried to push the thoughts of Phoenix and his wedding from his mind, concluding that it would help nothing.

_I inadvertently chose my fate three years ago, and now I must face the consequences._ he thought, feeling as though he had come to a rational conclusion.

But even he could not ignore the ache he felt in his heart for the one person he wanted, and most likely needed, but could not have.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

When Anka returned home from the Gatewater hotel, she found that Phoenix and Maya had already returned from the university and everyone was waiting for her to start dinner. She was in low spirits due to her unsuccessful talk with Edgeworth. As Lisa and Maya set the table, Phoenix came over and chatted with her.

"So the newspaper is working you pretty hard, huh? Keeping you this late on the weekend and all. Must be a pretty big story." Phoenix said, expressing his interest in the story he thought she must be working on.

"Newspaper?" Anka asked in confusion, but as she remembered what she told her parents before leaving, she quickly added, "Ahh…yeah. We are working hard…"

Anka was not the only one with sensitive perception. Phoenix knew his sister well, and he immediately knew she was lying.

"So, what exactly is this big story about?" Phoenix asked as he gave her a suspicious look, suddenly switching into cross examination mode without realizing it.

"Well…umm…" Anka said, struggling to think of something plausible to say, "Its…uhh…about this guy…that has to make a difficult choice."

"Oh? What kind of choice?" Phoenix added, pressing Anka further.

Suddenly Anka knew what she was going to say.

"Yeah. A life altering choice." she replied seriously, "He has to choose between his so called responsibilities and what he wants most."

"How would this choice be life altering? Everyday, people balance their wants and responsibilities without any substantial effect on their lives." Phoenix said, curious as to where Anka was going with this.

"Yes, that's right, but this person's biggest want is actually not a thing, but another person." Anka replied.

"I see. I suppose that would change things after all then. But out of curiosity, why would your paper want to publish a random story about a person? Don't school newspapers usually only do stories about school or current events?" Phoenix asked, trying to get to the core of this.

"Human interest, Phoenix. I think people would like to see the outcome of his situation. I personally think that, so far, he's making the wrong choice, but there is still a chance for him to make the right one." Anka replied.

"Hey, who is this guy anyways?" Phoenix asked next, feeling like she was purposefully keeping the identity of the person from him.

"What, am I on trial here or something?!" Anka said nervously, trying to stop the conversation before it went in this direction.

Suddenly Anka realized how ironic her last statement was and smiled, the seriousness of the conversation forgotten for a moment. Phoenix also smiled for the same reason.

"Okay, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Phoenix said, deciding to quit if she didn't want to talk, "I was just curious. But if it makes you feel any better, the defense rests."

Phoenix saw that Anka looked like she was really thinking about something, so he waited for what she would say next, getting the feeling that this "story" of hers affected her on a much more personal level than she was letting on.

"He's actually a…lawyer." Anka said hesitantly, wanting him to get the point without her having to say it blatantly.

"Really?" Phoenix asked, his curiousity renewed.

"A _defense _attorney." Anka said seriously, looking Phoenix straight in the eye.

Phoenix looked at Anka thoughtfully for a while, before a shocked expression slowly materialized on his face as all the pieces fell into place, as if he was in court.

"Surely you don't mean – " Phoenix started saying in surprise.

"Phoenix, I met him today. Please, its not too late…" Anka cut him off softly to not be overheard by her parents or Maya.

"You what?! Wait a second, Anka. What do you mean by 'its not too late'?" he said, everything hitting Phoenix so fast that he could hardly react.

Anka did not even have to name who she saw, Phoenix already knew. There was only one important "him" in his life.

"Please, Phoenix, you can't – " Anka started pleading.

But she was cut off by Lisa calling everyone to the table for dinner. Anka gave Phoenix a look of pleading to which Phoenix returned with a look of sadness, but they exchanged no more words as they joined everyone at the table.

* * *

Before he realized it, it was Sunday evening and time for he and Maya to go. Phoenix had avoided talking to Anka about his wedding for the rest of the weekend, deciding he needed to think about things on his own. As he and Maya packed, he saw that Anka seemed to sense this and, thankfully, gave him his space. He was blown away by the fact that Anka found out about Edgeworth and gone to see him on her own.

_But now that I think about it, this is just like her. She was never someone to take a problem sitting down. Right away she would just dive in and do everything in her power to try to solve the problem, for better or for worse, _Phoenix thought, _I wonder what she told Miles? I doubt that whatever happened went well since she did not seem very pleased when she came home._

His thoughts then shifted to Maya.

_Anka doesn't seem to want me to go through with the wedding, but where does this leave Maya? What a horrible thing it would be to do to leave her so close to the wedding. And then again, what would have happened if Miles had come just a week or two later? I know if Miles wasn't here, I wouldn't even be hesitating right now. _Phoenix thought sadly, _is this all a mistake? I know I've never loved Maya as anything else than a sister, but how could I not move on when Miles left without a trace?_

Thinking about Miles made him feel even worse.

_If I'm feeling this bad about things, I can imagine what Miles must be feeling…_Phoenix thought in regret, _if only Miles didn't always take everything so much to heart. _

Suddenly someone grabbed him in a hug from behind. He turned and looked behind him and saw Maya smiling at him.

"You finished packing?" Phoenix asked.

"Yup." Maya said, sounding very happy.

"That's good. We had better get going." Phoenix said, smiling back in spite of his current thoughts, Maya's smile being too infectious.

"Okay. Hey, Nick…" Maya replied.

"Yeah?" Phoenix asked.

"I love you." Maya said, sounding like she really meant it.

Phoenix looked at her a moment, practically seeing the love in her eyes.

_I can't leave her…I can't do that to her…_Phoenix thought, feeling like it would be the worst thing in the world he could do to her when she obviously loved him the way that she did, _I can't be selfish. I can't break her heart…_

"Yeah…I…know you do." Phoenix said, never quite able to say to Maya that he loved her easily, this time especially no different.

Phoenix couldn't tell if Maya was disappointed when he didn't say "I love you" as well, but he decided not to think about it since he already felt guilty enough. Both of them then brought their bags out to the living room where they found Phoenix's family waiting for them.

"Oh, it seems like you just got here, and you're leaving all ready!" Lisa said to Phoenix, as he hugged her goodbye.

"Don't worry, mom. We'll be seeing each other in just a week." Phoenix said, missing home already.

"Bye, son." Bill said to Phoenix, giving him a firm pat on the shoulder.

"Bye, dad." Phoenix replied, smiling.

"I guess I'll be seeing you soon, Phoenix." Anka said, sounding hesitant.

Phoenix knew exactly why, but he did not know what to say to her to make her feel any better.

"Yeah…and take it easy on those elephants, huh?" Phoenix said, giving her a small smile, his voice light.

"Not a chance." Anka replied with a little smirk.

Phoenix then looked at his family and said, "Okay, bye everyone!"

"Yeah, bye!" Maya added, waiting by the door for him.

Maya and Phoenix walked over to Maya's car, loaded their luggage in the trunk, and with a final wave, they were off. Anka watched the car tail lights disappear into the night, anxious for what the future would bring.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_Because Phoenix loves you_.

After spending the rest of the weekend completely alone with his thoughts, his nightmares, and Anka's words, Edgeworth finally knew that he had to do something or else he would go insane. On a whim, Edgeworth picked up the phone in the room and called the only person he could think of calling for a social reason. The phone rang twice before someone picked up.

"Criminal Affairs. This is Detective Gumshoe speaking."

Edgeworth took a second to speak, almost losing his nerve and hanging up, feeling like maybe it was a stupid idea to call anyone like this.

"Detective Gumshoe. This is Edgeworth."

The line went dead silent for a moment, Gumshoe obviously shocked thoroughly.

"M-Mr. Edgeworth?!" Gumshoe said, unable to believe his ears.

"Yes. It is me." Edgeworth replied, feeling very awkward.

"Wow, it's been a while, pal!" Gumshoe said, suddenly sounding quite happy, "When did you come in?"

"On Friday. I'll be staying the week." Edgeworth replied, inwardly amused at how happy Gumshoe sounded.

"I was about to have lunch. Would you like to join me, pal?" Gumshoe asked, sounding hopeful.

Edgeworth almost turned him down since he wasn't very good at these social situations, but he realized that this was exactly what he needed.

"Yes. I'd like that." Edgeworth said, his voice very detached and apathetic, but actually feeling as though a little weight had been lifted off of him.

* * *

Edgeworth met Gumshoe at a little French restaurant downtown. When Edgeworth arrived at the restaurant, he found Gumshoe already waiting for him outside. When they were seated and waiting for their orders, finally there was a chance to talk.

"You know, pal, things really haven't been the same since you left. No one in the prosecutor's office now has the same dedication that you had for bringing in the bad guys." Gumshoe said sadly.

"I…see." Edgeworth replied, not knowing what he could say to that, feeling guilty once again for leaving.

"All of us have really missed you. I'm sure even Mr. Wright has missed you. The way that you two went back and forth in court really was something. I don't think court has been as entertaining since you've gone either." Gumshoe said, smiling as he remembered the old days.

"Hmmm…" Edgeworth said, trying to sound noncommittal but really feeling bitter.

"Speaking of Mr. Wright, did you hear? He and Ms. Fey are getting married!" Gumshoe said, thinking this was happy news.

Gumshoe noticed the pained expression that flashed on Edgeworth's face for a split second before it was covered with Edgworth's usual expression of cold steel.

"Yes. Wright has asked me to come." Edgeworth bit out, unable to sound like he didn't care.

"Yeah, Mr. Wright invited me too. So I guess that's why you were staying the rest of the week, huh?" Gumshoe said carefully, quickly realizing that this seemed to be a sensitive topic for Edgeworth.

"Yes." Edgeworth replied shortly, clearly seeming uncomfortable about the subject.

Gumshoe had always wondered what Edgeworth had thought about Phoenix with the way that he used to go on and on about him when they were out of court. Gumshoe was now curious about things and decided to try to find out what he could while Edgeworth was in somewhat of a talkative mood.

_It seems like Mr. Edgeworth left because of more than just the results of the SL-9 incident…_Gumshoe thought, feeling sad for Edgeworth.

Edgeworth saw Gumshoe looking at him with very sad eyes, and he realized that he must he must be worse at hiding his feelings than he thought.

"Hey, Mr. Edgeworth…what do you think of Mr. Wright and Ms. Fey getting married?" Gumshoe asked, prodding carefully since he was curious.

"Think? What I think about it is of no consequence." Edgeworth said coldly.

"I think it is." Gumshoe said earnestly, honestly wanting to hear what Edgeworth was thinking.

Edgeworth detested being put on the spot like this, but something compelled him to keep talking.

"I…I have nothing to say about it," Edgeworth said disdainfully, letting the silence hang in the air for a moment before he continued, "I can say nothing since this wedding is happening because of me. Because I left. I found this out from Wright's sister, who showed up at my hotel room unannounced a few days ago."

"Oh, pal, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself…" Gumshoe said sympathetically.

Edgeworth realized that he was telling Gumshoe all of this because everything was getting to be too much to hold in and he needed someone to talk to.

"It was foolish of me to expect things to be exactly the same as before I left." Edgeworth said, his lip curling in disgust of himself, "I never even considered what he wanted for a minute…I was always too wrapped up with my own selfish needs."

Gumshoe didn't know how to comfort him since Edgeworth seemed to blame Phoenix's wedding on himself when things were obviously more complex than that. Gumshoe realized now that Edgeworth's feelings for Phoenix ran much deeper than for someone who was just a court rival.

"After three years, the meaning of everything I was feeling was still cloudy, and so I kept running," Edgeworth said with scorn, "All I needed was always in front of me, but I let it slip through my fingers…I was too blinded by my self importance and self struggle to understand it. But finally seeing Wright after my long absence brought everything into sharp clarity. I finally realized I was wrong all along, only to be too late."

Gumeshoe looked thoughtful for a moment and then he spoke.

"You know, pal, its better that you let him know how you feel, since otherwise you'd always wonder…what if…" Gumshoe said cautiously, looking away from Edgeworth for a moment, seeming as though he was embarrassed.

Edgeworth looked at Gumshoe, his eyebrows scrunched in mild surprise, his own problems momentarily forgotten, suddenly grasping that Gumshoe was not only talking about him, but also himself.

"Yes, I suppose that's true…" Edgeworth replied emotionlessly, not knowing what to say.

Suddenly their food arrived, ending their conversation momentarily.

_Love without pain or disappointment is only in fairy tales,_ Edgeworth thought resentfully, feeling as though he'd be alone for the rest of his life.

* * *

The days inched by as Phoenix's wedding crept ever closer. Phoenix sat at his desk in his office, finishing up any remaining court papers that had to be done before he took some time off from work for his wedding. He kept unconsciously glancing at the wedding invitation he had ready on his desk to give to Edgeworth. He was dreading this meeting, not wanting to make things harder on either of them, but yet he was desperate to see Edgeworth again.

_I don't even know if I want this wedding to happen anymore…first, seeing Miles, and then the whole talk with Anka…_ Phoenix thought, feeling very unsure of himself, _She told me that she thought I was making a mistake by marrying Maya…but, I've made a commitment to her, and so I must follow through._

Phoenix pushed the conflicting thoughts he was having out of his mind and suddenly got up from the desk to give Edgeworth the invitation, knowing that staring at it wouldn't make things easier.

The Gatewater hotel was right across the street from Phoenix's office, so it was a very short walk. Phoenix went up to room 506 and hesitated for a moment before he knocked on the door. In a moment, Edgeworth came to the door and opened it.

"Wright." Edgeworth said softly, almost as if he was surprised to see Phoenix.

Phoenix didn't say anything for a few seconds, just mesmerized by Edgeworth's face, noticing that Edgeworth was looking at him in a very strange, enigmatic way. Finally Phoenix realized that he was just standing there, saying nothing, so he spoke.

"Uhh…I just came by to…give you this…" Phoenix said, hesitantly indicating the wedding invitation he held in his hand.

"Oh." Edgeworth said simply, sounding as though he was disappointed.

Edgeworth slowly reached over and took the invitation Phoenix was holding into his hand, avoiding eye contact with Phoenix, but in the process, he accidentally grabbed on to Phoenix's fingers as well. When Edgeworth touched him, time seemed to stop for Phoenix. He looked into Edgeworth's eyes, Edgeworth's pain and suffering plain to see. Phoenix's whole body just ached to touch him, to make Edgeworth stop hurting. Edgeworth unconsciously seemed to grip Phoenix's hand tighter, making Phoenix's heart beat faster.

Finally, Phoenix weakly pulled his hand back with whatever resolve he had left, leaving only the wedding invitation in Edgeworth's hand. Edgeworth shook his head when Phoenix removed his hand, also seeming to lose himself in this strange moment. Phoenix just decided to get out of there, not able to handle the look on Edgeworth's face.

"Well…I guess…I'll…see you there…" Phoenix said softly, with great difficulty, his guilt about the situation about to overtake him.

Edgeworth turned his face away from Phoenix in anguish, unable to even look at him.

"Yes. I'll be there." Edgeworth replied so softly that Phoenix hardly heard him.

Phoenix tore himself away without another word, not wanting to draw this conversation out any longer.

* * *

Edgeworth watched Phoenix leave, pushing the door closed when Phoenix was no longer in the hall. He leaned heavily on the door, suddenly feeling very weak. Edgeworth slowly made his way over to the desk in his room, tossed the invitation on to the desk, and sat down, putting his head in his hands. The emotions coursing through him at this moment were almost too much for him to bear. At the same time, he felt like crying in sorrow, screaming in anger, and collapsing in defeat. He sat at the desk for many minutes, trying to pull himself together.

_This is it. The last thing I can do to make up for all of my mistakes is to go to this wedding. I owe him that much…_Edgeworth thought, his heart feeling crushed, _Come what may to me, I will be there._

Edgeworth strongly resolved that since he caused Phoenix so much pain in the past, fate had decided the appropriate penance.

_I know I don't deserve him, so this is a fitting turn end to things._ Edgeworth thought scornfully, forcing himself to get up and prepare what he was going to wear to the wedding.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The day of the wedding had finally arrived. It was taking place in a reception hall just out of town called The Tuin. The time for the big moment was almost here, so everyone in the wedding party was scrambling around making any last preparations. Lisa Wright was helping Maya get into her wedding dress, making sure she looked absolutely perfect before she walked down the aisle.

Maya admired herself in the mirror, smiled, and said, "Thanks for everything, Lisa. You've really made me feel like I'm a part of the family…I've hardly felt the loss of my own family since I met you and Bill and Anka."

"After all the time you've spent with Phoenix and all the help you've given him, it's only natural that we consider you family." Lisa replied warmly.

"I'm so fortunate to have you all in my life. After Mia was killed, I felt like I would be all alone." Maya said sadly, as she remembered the death of her sister.

Lisa put a comforting arm around Maya and said, "We'll always be here for you, you can count on that. All of us are just so happy that Phoenix fell in love with such a nice girl. Phoenix is so lucky to have you."

Maya replied with a small smile.

Lisa smiled back and said, "Well, I think it's almost time. I'll make sure everyone else is in their places. We'll be waiting for you outside!"

Lisa quickly rushed out of the room, leaving Maya alone. Lisa's words set Maya to thinking about her relationship with Phoenix.

_I think its actually me that's lucky to have him. But does he really love me? That's something I'm really not sure about, now that I think about it, _Maya thought reflectively, _I noticed that almost every time I've told him that I've loved him, he hasn't said it back. At first I thought it was because he was shy, but now I think it was something else all together. I know its bad luck for the bride to see the groom before the wedding, but I think I have to talk to him before we get married. I need to know the truth._

Maya left the room to find Phoenix, hoping no one would think she suddenly went missing.

* * *

Edgeworth stood alone outside of the reception hall, not talking with any of the other guests since he didn't know most of them, and mostly because he definitely was in no mood for conversation. He had the feeling that most people were avoiding him due to the sour expression he had on his face, and he was thankful for the lack of attention that was coming in his direction. He really didn't know what he would say if anyone tried to talk to him. He noticed that everyone was slowly making their way inside the hall, so he figured it was almost time. As Edgeworth suddenly felt a strange bout of panic and sadness, a voice called out to him.

"Yo, Edgey!"

Edgeworth turned around and found his childhood friend, Larry Butz, approaching him.

"Hello, Butz." Edgeworth said in a disinterested tone, not looking forward to the tedious conversation that lay ahead of him.

"I didn't expect you to be here! Where have you been anyway? None of us have seen you for such a long time!" Larry said in excitement that, in Edgeworth's opinion, was not merited for this conversation.

"I've been in France." Edgeworth replied arrogantly, as if he was too good for this conversation.

Larry, of course, took no notice to this and kept talking.

"Woah, France, huh? I bet the models there are amazing! Well, not amazing as my girl, Monique, but still."

Edgeworth replied with a "humph" of indifference, which Larry took to be one of jealousy. They were suddenly interrupted by someone running up to them.

"Larry! There you are! I was looking all over for you! Everyone is taking their places now. We can't have Phoenix's best man being late!" Lisa happily said to Larry, motioning towards the hall.

She abruptly noticed that Edgeworth was standing with them as well.

"Oh, hello. And you are…?" Lisa asked curiously, studying Edgeworth.

Edgeworth really didn't know how to answer that, but Larry piped up for him.

"Oh, this is Edgey, Nick's and my friend from childhood. Looks like Nick invited him to the wedding since he was in town."

"My name is Miles Edgeworth." Edgeworth clarified in a little annoyance, knowing it was common for Larry to actually confuse someone more while giving them an explanation for something.

"Oh, Miles! I remember you! Phoenix used to talk about you all the time when you two were kids. Wow, how time has passed…" Lisa said, smiling as she reminisced, "Well, I'm glad you came to help celebrate Phoenix's special day. We should all catch up during the reception. Anyways, let's all get inside!"

"Talk to you later, Edgey!" Larry said as he was ushered inside the hall by Lisa.

Edgeworth was once again alone. He slowly started taking steps toward the hall himself, but something was stopping him. The closer he got to the hall, the more his emotions bubbled up inside of him. When he reached the door of the hall, he suddenly broke down, completely losing control.

_I can't do this…I know I promised him, but I just can't…_Edgeworth thought in anguish, feeling actual physical pain in his heart and tears beginning to flow down his cheeks, knowing in just an hour, he would lose Phoenix forever.

Edgeworth turned around and sat at the edge of a large planter in the garden outside of the hall instead of entering, almost feeling as though he'd never be okay again.

* * *

Phoenix was making his way to the reception area after getting dressed, knowing that it must just about be time. He was still hesitating about everything, but he willed himself to move forward. Before he even realized what was happening, he was pushed by someone into one of the rooms he was passing in the hall. He turned around and found himself looking at his sister, Anka.

"We need to talk." she said in urgency.

"Umm…can't this wait? I'm sorta late for something important…" Phoenix said, not so convincingly.

"No, this can't wait." Anka said forcefully, "I can't let you do this! _You don't love her_!!"

Phoenix sighed and replied, "Feelings are complicated things, I don't expect you to understand…"

"No, things aren't that complicated. You don't marry someone you don't love, period. Especially not when the person you _do_ love is right in front of you!" Anka said, barely keeping her voice down.

"I…I don't – " Phoenix said, sounding very unsure.

"But you love Miles! You've loved him for at least seven years," Anka continued, cutting Phoenix off, "And you also said that even if you were 'moving on', you'd still always love him! Are you going to throw that all away?!"

"Well, I…hey, wait a second! Did you…_read my journal_?!" Phoenix started saying thoughtfully, but cut off as a look of disbelief, embarrassment, and horror materialized on his face.

"Umm…yeah…but that's beside the point! Desperate times call for desperate measures!" Anka said with some guilt, but she brushed it off, convinced that was the only thing she could have done.

Phoenix was slightly annoyed and angry at her for invading his privacy the way she did, but he just sighed and let it go.

_I know she was only trying to help, even if her methods were a little questionable._ Phoenix thought, forgiving her.

He got a bearing over his thoughts, and then he spoke again.

"Look, Anka…"

* * *

Maya continued her frantic search for Phoenix before the wedding, so far coming up empty handed. She asked various guests that she ran into if they had seen him, and most of them hadn't.

_I hope I find him…this is something that definitely cannot wait…_Maya thought anxiously.

Suddenly she heard voices from a room just up the hall she was in. As she got closer, she recognized the voices as those of Phoenix and Anka. She was about to join them in the room, but she suddenly heard what Phoenix was saying and she stopped by the door.

"…I can't do that to Maya. She doesn't deserve that." Phoenix said hesitantly.

"What are you saying?! Think about it! That wouldn't be fair to her!" Anka said adamantly.

"But…I…just…I do love Miles, but I made a promise to Maya, and I…I shouldn't break this kind of promise…" Phoenix said with difficulty, his reluctance crystal clear in his voice.

Maya had heard enough. She now knew the truth about Phoenix's feelings for her.

_I didn't know he was making such a huge sacrifice for me…I don't know why I didn't realize all of this sooner…_Maya thought, as tears came to her eyes.

She quickly walked into the room, interrupting Phoenix's and Anka's conversation. They both stopped talking abruptly and looked at her in surprise.

"Maya! Oh, please…it's not what you – " Phoenix feebly started saying in a small panic.

"Nick, just...don't. Honestly, I was having doubts about everything but...now it makes sense. I just...I can't believe you'd make such a sacrifice for me. But...I really just can't let you do that." Maya said with a sad smile.

"Oh, Maya, I'm so sorry…This is all my fault…" Phoenix said in sorrow, stepping forward and wiping away the tear that was rolling down her cheek.

"This wedding can't happen. It just isn't right." Maya said, looking away from Phoenix, obviously struggling to keep herself together.

"God, I never meant to hurt you, Maya…" Phoenix said, feeling incredibly guilty.

After a moment of tension-filled silence, Maya spoke again.

"I think this is all for the best…how could I marry someone that didn't love me? I know that you would have been a great husband, Nick, but your heart lies with Mr. Edgeworth."

"Maya…" Phoenix said softly, not knowing what he could say to make her feel any better.

"Go to him." Maya said swiftly and forcefully.

"But, what about – ?" Phoenix started asking, suddenly realizing that they had to tell everyone that this wedding wasn't going to happen.

"Don't worry about it, Nick. Anka and I will take care of it," Maya said, motioning behind Phoenix to Anka, "Just go to him."

Phoenix glanced thoughtfully between Anka and Maya for a moment, and then nodded his head and left the room.

* * *

Phoenix searched all over for Edgeworth, fearing that he might have left already. Just as he was about to give up, he spotted someone sitting all alone on a large planter just outside the hall. As he got closer, he found that it was Edgeworth. Phoenix slowly approached him, trying to figure out what to say. When Phoenix was right behind Edgeworth, he was surprised to see that Edgeworth didn't even seem to notice him. He reached out and put his hand on Edgeworth's shoulder, and turned Edgeworth towards him. Phoenix found Edgeworth's face stained with tears, causing Phoenix's heart to break to see him like this.

"Miles…" Phoenix said softly.

"I'm sorry…I just couldn't be in there. I really tried, but I just couldn't…" Edgeworth said, his voice cracking, doing everything in his power to keep from breaking down in front of Phoenix.

Edgeworth looked at Phoenix in confusion when realized that Phoenix was out here talking to him when he was supposed to be inside getting married.

"Wait a second, what are you doing here?" Edgeworth asked softly, not letting himself get his hopes up too quickly.

Phoenix let out a sigh, and said, "Miles, I…couldn't do it."

"What?" Edgeworth said, his eyes narrowed in confusion and suspicion.

"I couldn't do it." Phoenix repeated, his voice a little stronger this time, "It wouldn't have been true to Maya, and most importantly, I couldn't do this to you…"

Edgeworth just kept looking at Phoenix in disbelief, hardly being able to comprehend what Phoenix had just said to him. Phoenix stepped forward, cupping Edgeworth's face with his hands and wiped away Edgeworth's tears with his thumbs.

"And anyways, I don't love her…" Phoenix whispered as he slowly moved his face closer to Edgworth's, "I…love…"

Edgeworth didn't even let Phoenix finish the sentence, quickly closing the distance between his face and Phoenix's. The kiss was so intense, being a final culmination of every drop of love and desire they felt for each other, that Phoenix felt himself getting slightly weak in the knees. Phoenix clutched tighter to Edgeworth and vowed to himself that he would never let him go.

"Phoenix…" Edgeworth murmured breathlessly in Phoenix's ear, all the sensations he was feeling over powering his senses.

Edgeworth could not find any words that could accurately describe what he was feeling in this moment. He couldn't believe that he had been given a second chance to do things right this time, hoping dearly that this wasn't a dream. Edgeworth buried his fingers deep into Phoenix's hair and kissed him deeply once again, feeling light headed, his heart beating madly.

The world around them was forgotten as they opened their hearts to each other, as should have been done years ago. Neither wanted this moment to end as they kissed desperately and clung to each other feverishly. Unbeknownst to them, they started to gather a few eavesdroppers.

* * *

"Wow, he looks so happy…" Anka said quietly, pleased that she could help unite her brother with the person that he truly loved.

Anka and Phoenix's parents joined her outside when the news about the wedding was broken to them. Quickly, their eyes were drawn to Phoenix and Edgeworth, and promptly their mouths dropped open.

"Is that…?" Lisa asked Anka, too shocked to think straight, let alone finish her question.

"Miles Edgeworth, the one Phoenix really loves? Yup." Anka replied as a matter of factly, the happy grin never leaving her face.

"Wait a second, is that…a man?" Bill added in disbelief, wiping his glasses to see if he could get a better look.

Anka's smile broadened and she shook her head a little in amusement.

* * *

At last, Phoenix and Edgeworth decided to come up for air, but they still clung to each other closely, breathless in each other's arms. Edgeworth slowly pulled back slightly and gave Phoenix a playful smirk.

"Who is it that you love then? You never told me." he said, his voice cool but not uninviting.

Phoenix then laughed and pretended to think about it.

"Larry." Phoenix replied, hardly able to keep a straight face when he said it.

"Well, I suppose that calls for a change in the saying then." Edgeworth said, smirking in amusement.

"Saying?" Phoenix asked curiously.

"If something smells, make sure you get the Wright Butz." Edgeworth replied, looking happier than Phoenix had ever seen him.

Phoenix laughed again, thoroughly surprised that Edgeworth cracked a joke. Phoenix's mind then flashed to the future, realizing that things between them and just things in general would be changing due to current events.

"So, Miles…what now?" Phoenix asked.

"Well, my plane to France is leaving in a couple of hours. Since, clearly, you no longer have a wedding to attend, I'm sure you can spare the time to…join me…" Edgeworth tried to say with his cool demeanor intact, but some of his nervousness poked through.

Phoenix smiled broadly in happiness and excitement and said, "Yeah, I'll join you. I'll finally see if the French fries and French toast there is actually any good. "

Edgeworth laughed in response, and this made Phoenix's heart flutter since, in the whole time he knew Edgeworth as an adult, he never laughed around Phoenix once.

* * *

Phoenix and Edgeworth hurried away from The Tuin before any of the other wedding guests noticed their absence, not wanting to deal with any of their looks or questions, only wanting to enjoy each other's company. They first stopped by Edgeworth's hotel room so he could pick up his luggage and check out. Then they ran over to Phoenix's apartment to pick up a few things for him. Phoenix finally gathered all of his things for the trip and finally joined Edgeworth, who was waiting for him by the door.

Phoenix gave Edgeworth a small smile and said, "Hey, Miles…"

"Yes?" Edgeworth asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

"I…love you. It's only ever been you…" Phoenix replied, feeling a rush from his emotions.

Edgeworth looked away from Phoenix, a shy smile materializing on his face, before he said, "I love you, too."

After a moment, Edgeworth cleared his throat in embarrassment, feeling extremely awkward and vulnerable in situations whenever he had to reveal his true feelings about something.

"Anyway…we have a plane to catch." Edgeworth said, giving Phoenix a mischievous smirk.

Phoenix laughed and left his apartment with Edgeworth, looking forward to the future and for what it may hold.


	10. Epilogue

A/N: I'm so sorry this chapter took this long to post! I needed a bit of it translated into French, but the person I was asking for help has seemed to drop off the face of the earth, therefore leaving what I needed translated, untranslated. Well, if anyone reading can help me, don't hesitate to drop me a message, so that I can repost this chapter with the proper French in it. So, as of now, just pretend that everything in parenthesis is in French. Oh, yeah, and Enjoy:)

Edit: A friend on live journal actually translated the French for me, so here's the version that includes the French!

**Epilogue**

Epilogue

"Monsieur Edgeworth! Vous êtes là! Vous aviez dit que vous ne seriez absent que quelques jours ! (Mr. Edgeworth! There you are! You had said you'd only be gone for a few days!)"  
Edgeworth regarded his fellow prosecutor with a look of amusement and said, "Bonjour, Fontaine.(Hello, Fontaine.)"

"Vous n'avez aucune idée des difficultés que j'ai avec l'affaire Paradis ! La défense nous a coincé! Si nous ne faisons rien, j'ai l'impression que nous allons perdre. Je suis sûr que Bardot a fait quelque chose, mais- (You have no idea the trouble I've been having with the Paradis case! The defense has us on the ropes! If we don't do something, I have a feeling we're going to lose this case. I'm sure that Bardot did it, but —) " Fontaine started saying in annoyance and anxiousness, but Edgeworth suddenly cut him off.

"Calmez-vous, Fontaine, inspirez profondément. (Calm down, Fontaine, take a deep breath.)" Edgeworth said, his face expressionless, but his eyes sparkling with a kind of happiness Fontaine had certainly never seen in Edgeworth before, "Examinez les faits et les preuves. Si vous ne pouvez pas prouver la culpabilité de votre client avec ça, alors ce sera vraiment fini. (Examine your facts and the evidence. If the guilt of your client isn't found there, then it really is over.)"

Fontaine gave him a look of annoyance and said, "Oh, c'est facile à dire, pour vous ! Vous avez pris une semaine de vacances et j'ai dû faire tout le travail.(Oh, easy for you to say after you take a week long vacation and left me to do all the work.)"

To this comment Fontaine completely expected Edgeworth to snap at him or to reply sharply, but to his shock, Edgeworth did neither. Instead he gave Fontaine a little smirk.

"Ces vacances étaient nécessaires, mais j'ai dû me forcer à les prendre.(It was a much needed vacation that I was forced to take very much against my will.)" Edgeworth said, amusement obvious in his voice, "De plus, vous devriez vous habituer à traiter des affaires tout seul, Fontaine.(…and in any case, you should get used to doing cases on your own, Fontaine.)"

"Quoi? Pourquoi?(What? Why?)" Fontaine asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at Edgeworth, "Ces vacances n'étaient pas assez longues pour vous?(Was this vacation not enough for you?)"

Edgeworth looked away from Fontaine, smiled and said, "En fait, je suis revenu uniquement pour vous céder le cabinet.(The only reason I've actually come back here is to give you full ownership of the firm.)"

Fontaine gave Edgeworth a flabbergasted look as his mouth dropped open in shock.

"M- moi?! Le cabinet ?! Ah, non, Monsieur Edgeworth, vous ne pouvez pas-- (M-me?! The firm?! Oh, no, Mr. Edgeworth, you couldn't possibly — )" Fontaine replied, everything happening so fast that he didn't know how to react.

Fontaine's reaction to this news made Edgeworth smile broadly.

"Naturellement, si c'est trop de responsabilités pour vous, je pourrais vendre le cabinet à Matthieu. (Of course…if you really feel that you can't handle this, I was considering selling the firm to Matthieu.)" Edgeworth said in a teasing tone of voice, still clearly amused.

"Matthieu ?! Non, non, non !!! Je préférerais que l'entreprise fasse faillite plutôt que la vendre à Matthieu! (Matthieu!?! No, no, no!! I'd rather that this firm go bankrupt than it be sold to Matthieu!)" Fontaine said in disgust, as if the name 'Matthieu' was the nastiest name in existence.

Edgeworth chuckled and said, "J'aime cet esprit, Fontaine. Ici- les documents nécessaires pour vous. (That's the spirit, Fontaine. Here are the necessary deeds for you.)"

Edgeworth handed Fontaine the stack of papers he was holding.

"Mais... pourquoi faites vous cela, Monsieur Edgeworth?(But…why are you doing this, Mr. Edgeworth?)" Fontaine asked, still confused as to why the firm was being signed over to him.

Edgeworth gave him a cryptic smile and said, "Je dois le faire. Maintenant, si vous le permettez, je dois partir. Bonne chance avec le cabinet. (It's just something I have to do. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be taking my leave. Good luck with the firm.)"

Edgeworth walked out to the reception area of the law office before Fontaine caught up to him. He saw another man with black spiky hair stand up when Edgeworth came into the reception area.

"Mais attendez! Monsieur Edgeworth! Où allez-vous? (But, wait! Mr. Edgeworth! Where are you going?)" Fontaine asked in confusion, everything that had happened just sinking in.

Edgeworth gave him a rare little smile, saying, "Je retourne à un endroit que je n'aurais jamais dû quitter. (I'm going back to a place I never should have left.)"

Edgeworth then smirked at Fontaine, raised two fingers to his forehead in salute, and said, "Au revoir, Fontaine. J'espère que nous nous reverrons un jour... (Good bye, Fontaine. I hope our paths will cross again one day…)"

With that, Edgeworth exited the office. The spiky haired man gave Fontaine an awkward smile and wave, since he appeared to have no idea what they were saying, and followed quickly after Edgeworth. Fontaine watched them leave, feeling strangely happy for Edgeworth, noticing that the demons he had been fighting for the last three years had finally been quelled.

_ Au revoir, Miles Egeworth..._(Good bye, Miles Edgeworth…) Fontaine thought to himself, a small smile coming to his lips.

* * *

"I wish I knew how to speak French." Phoenix said to Edgeworth as they walked out of Edgeworth's Law Firm and down the street. 

Edgeworth smirked and said, "Maybe I can teach you a thing or two."

"I hope so. It would have been nice to know French, to know what those other people in the reception of your office were saying when they were pointing at me and whispering." Phoenix said, amusement sparkling in his eyes.

Edgeworth chucked and replied, "Maybe your hair was just too spiky for them."

"Hey, I like my hair. It's not too spiky…it's just spiky enough." Phoenix said, grinning.

Edgeworth playfully raised an eyebrow at Phoenix and said, "I don't know about that…maybe I'll just go and cut those spikes down to size when you go to sleep tonight."

Phoenix pretended to be affronted and replied, sounding determined, "Well, then. I guess I'll have to stay up with you all night to make sure that doesn't happen."

Edgeworth smirked and suggestively said, "All night, huh?"

Phoenix smiled back and replied just as suggestively, "Yes, _all night_."

Edgeworth spontaneously grabbed Phoenix and pulled him into a hug, giving him a small kiss.

Edgeworth smirked again at Phoenix and said, "Well. I suppose I can deal with that."


End file.
